Getting Ready for our Next Mission

It has been a few days, but they have finally given us a new mission.  I will be leaving in a few days.  Until then I am still trying to get my new truck ready.  We have been working hard to get the maintenance guys to install everything that it needs including offering to do some of the work ourselves.  It has come down to a little solenoid, like the ones on old Ford starters, that they use to ground out the huge spotlights that we roll with that they don't have in stock and are waiting to receive on order.  I get to go again tonight and check to see if they have gotten any in and can finish the truck.  If not, because we won't have spotlights, we will have to borrow someone else's truck again!  I really hope it doesn't come to that.  

Things have started changing here because of the new Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that the US has with the Iraqi government.  If you didn't know already our legal authority to be here has been turned over from the UN to the Iraqi government.  We are now guests at their request and not occupiers anymore.  That means that we are handing over control of all the bases and eventually all the operations.  We have to follow their rules.  We have been having meetings to discuss what changes we will have to do to comply with all of this.  Basically for me it means that I cannot force a car to pull over to let our convoy by.  If they want to drive next to us I have to let them.  I figure most people will still pull over, but they don't have to any more.  It also means more scrutiny if any incident does happen.  Like if one of our crane drivers (see previous posts to find out my opinion of those) hits a car!  It has almost happened.  I hope I never have to fire my weapon, but if I do that would also come under more scrutiny.  It makes our job more complicated, but it is also a necessary step for these people to get their country back.  Eventually the Iraqis will be in command of my base and an Iraqi unit might even replace us on convoy security.  In fact on our last mission an Iraqi convoy passed us up as we were pulling guard duty.  They were doing the same thing complete with their own gun trucks, crane and flatbed trucks with concrete barriers on them.  The more they do it the less I have to.